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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Really delighted to present you our first WWII model kit! It's the Flakpanzer version of Panzer I ausf. A at 1/100th scale --a mixed kit consisting of 6 hard plastic, 7 high quality resin and 1 white metal parts, besides of 3 German crewmen also in white metal. Such 15mm crewmen have been sculpted by Angel Terol.

One single Panzerabteilung was provided with these mobile AA weapons; formed in Romania just before Barbarossa, it participated in the invasion of Ukraine and ended up its days at Stalingrad.

You can watch in the picture above what do these vehicles look like, once painted by Rubén Torregrosa of Heresy Brush. 1/100 Flakpanzer I ausf. A is already available at our www.minairons.eu website. It can be acquired by the two in a box, complimented by an assembling instructions sheet.

The 1/72nd scale version of this AA vehicle is already finished too --it will be released within May.

Such Fair is to be held on next weekend, from 25th to 27th April. We'll be taking there as much stuff as we can carry --not just our own Minairons Miniatures kits and figures, but also those of Plastic Soldier Company, Heer46, Zvezda and S-Model too. Meet you in Torrent town next weekend, then!

Friday, April 18, 2014

In theory, I'm still on holidays --but no longer enjoying them at a remote valley in the Pyrenees, but already at home. However, I couldn't resist the temptation and wait until next Tuesday before letting you know our next release: the carrier version of IGC Sadurní tank at 1:72nd scale.

Model kit itself is extremely simple to build, as it can be seen by the picture above, for it just consists of 3 main parts. However, kit is completed by a white metal driver and 5 other crewmen --officer and 4 soldiers--, all them superbly sculpted for us by Juan G. Bautista of Xan Miniatures, as usual.

As with other vehicles in this series, the ensemble is completed by a decals sheet comprising a number of insignia used by Catalan made AFVs, as well as markings for VBCW Scotish Republic tanks --all them in excess.

As suggested above, despite my holidays week isn't over yet, I've made this new model kit already available at our website. Don't miss the opportunity to be the first one at getting yours!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

We're out for holidays since 13th to 20th April. This is why you might find that any your eventual
e-mails to us is not being responded in due time, or the status of any eventual order you place does not change during that week.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The very first proper bookmobiles service in Spain was heralded by the Catalan Government, or Generalitat, as a way to bring leisure and culture to the Republican soldiers --even amidst a war. Conceived in late 1936, the service started working in early 1937 and consisted of a small fleet of at least 3 different adapted trucks/buses, whose task had to be visiting regularly field hospitals and rearguard encampments. The last, sad service of one of these bookmobiles took place coincidentally to the fall of Barcelona in early 1939, when it was used for evacuating as many Catalan men of letters and their families as it could carry, and leading them to the French border safety.

Quite logically, as soon as I learnt about these heroic, peaceful wartimes vehicles I immediately fell in love with them, and committed myself to bringing them back to life --albeit at a small scale. As usual, we were severely hampered at first by the lack of contemporary pictures and blueprints of any kind, but were nevertheless able to guess to some certainty degree make and model of one sample, and soon started working on it (with the valuable help of some GAZ-AA buses/ambulances blueprints). Well, this is a preliminary view of the thing, at its current stage:

There is a number of elements still to be defined or corrected, such as headlights or optional side vents panels for instance. However, it is already starting to take shape.

When endeavouring such an odd, out from normal vehicle, some degree of pragmatism must be applied on the project itself --if you want it to enjoy a minimum acceptation degree. Following this idea, I told the designer to forecast some interchangeable parts, so as to allow the vehicle to be optionally built not as a Catalan bookmobile, but a generic Republican ambulance instead. These would consist of the above mentioned side panels --more or less like the ones you can see on the ambulance below (a Dodge perhaps?):

Besides, I also thought it would be useful (and funny!) to device for it a third option, so that the vehicle could be also used as a timeless or what-if bookmobile, valid for virtually any setting you wished --historical or not, but in any case plentiful of humour. Following these criteria, the decals already at printshop are to include markings and letterings for all three alternative uses:

Oh, and last. "There's no bookmobile without a librarian", I told to myself. So the kit would include a 20mm white metal figure inspired on this one below:

Not to be 3D designed though, as we intended at first. Otherwise, she'll be sculpted in the traditional way by Angel Terol --the same guy who's been commissioned our Republican Militiawomen series.

There is not a precise deadline for its release yet. As for caution, we've provisionally scheduled it for next September.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

We're proud at showing you the third and last version of the Catalan IGC Sadurní tank, that we are about to release pretty soon --less than two weeks' time! The sample model you can see below has been masterly painted by our usual collaborating artist, Rubén of Heresy Brush.

Model itself is extremely easy to build, for it consists of just 3 resin parts. In our opinion, the main goal of this about to be launched new set resides in the complete white metal crew complimenting it: driver, accompanying officer and 4 Republican soldiers --al them superbly sculpted by Xan Bautista of Xan Miniatures. All them showing different poses, as usual in our 20mm figures range.

Despite the Spanish Ministry of War denial to assume its mass production, this carrier was actually built in small numbers and delivered to the Republican columns in the Front of Aragon, where they served until rendered useless by the lack of spares. Here below you can see it along with its more successful tractor version, painted by Rubén too.